Saturday, August 10, 2013

One Year in Mars

"Curiosity stuck close to its landing site for most of its first 12 months on the Red Planet. Observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggested that rocks in the area may have been exposed to liquid water long ago, and mission scientists wanted the rover to check out these landforms."

In September, Curiosity had rolled through an ancient streambed, where water had flowed perhaps hip-deep in places. In March, the mission team announced that Yellowknife Bay was indeed habitable billions of years ago.